Harry Potter and the Vial of Hope
by CrewChic137
Summary: This story tells of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, attempting to conceal himself from his enemy, Lord Voldemort. Events include an attempted kidnapping and Harry's reinstatement as Gryffindor Seeker.
1. Wormtail's Blunder Part 1

Disclaimer: I swear on all my life and all that is holy (not that I am holy, because I am anything and everything but) that I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with the said subject. By the way. who IS Harry Potter? ;-)  
  
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"Alohomora," a voice whispered into the darkness, pointing a wand towards the doorknob of number 4 Privet Drive. The door swung open with a creak, making a small, rat-faced man shudder. His gaze flicked left and right, looking for any sign of movement. Reassured, the man stepped over the threshold and into the Muggle house as the door closed softly behind him.  
  
Once he was inside, the clouds that had been covering the moon for much of the night began to disperse, flooding the foyer with light. Wormtail's gaze fell on the stairs, and he crept towards them cautiously, glancing around nervously as he went. He could hear snoring upstairs, and assumed correctly that it was Harry's Uncle Vernon. Wormtail snorted, knowing that he would wake up in the morning to discover that his nephew had disappeared during the night.  
  
For that was why he was here. Wormtail was there to capture Harry Potter and take him to visit Lord Voldemort.  
  
Up in his room, Harry slept fitfully, tossing and turning continuously. This particular night had been filled with disturbing visions and dreams - mostly about Lord Voldemort, which came as no shock. The nightmare he was in now showed a mousy, water-eyed man standing before the stairs of the Dursley's house, staring upwards. He, Harry, stood at the top, gazing down into Wormtail's eyes, which were filled with fear and a sort of desperation. As Harry moved towards the top step, Wormtail Disapparated with a pop.  
A burning pain in his scar caused Harry to wake with a start. He was drenched in sweat. Harry pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead, willing the prickling feeling to disappear.  
A muffled noise downstairs caught Harry's attention, and his head jerked up to stare at the door. He reached towards the nightstand for his wand, slowly rising from the bed at the same time. Harry made his way to the door silently, pressing his lips together in order to remain calm. He placed his hand on the knob and turned it, opening the door quietly. Harry stepped out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him.  
Several steps to the right brought him to the top of the stairs, from which Harry could see down into the foyer. He was startled to see the man from his dream standing at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up at Harry in the same way he had in his nightmare. Instead of stepping forward, as in his dream, Harry spoke softly to the man who had betrayed his parents fifteen years ago.  
"What are you doing here, Wormtail?" he demanded quietly, holding the man's gaze. Wormtail averted his eyes, avoiding Harry's cold stare. He fumbled with his wand, staring at the floor, wondering what to do.  
"You're not supposed to be awake. You're supposed to be sleeping. This was supposed to be an easy job. Attach us both to the Portkey and go back to see him," Wormtail muttered under his breath, shifting his eyes from Harry to the floor and back again.  
"I'm afraid that's impossible, Wormtail," Harry responded icily. Before the man could react, Harry hexed him.  
"Petrificus totalus!" Wormtail became motionless, and fell heavily to the floor with a thud. The sound was enough to wake Aunt Petunia, who rose from her bed and found Harry standing at the top of the stairs, pointing his wand at a man - clearly another wizard - who now lay still on the floor downstairs.  
"Harry!" she exclaimed softly, looking down at her nephew. The glance he gave her silenced whatever reprimand Aunt Petunia had intended to bestow. Impulsively, she reached out and hugged Harry. It was the first time she had embraced him since the day he was born.  
The gesture touched Harry, and he hugged her back. Hard. Tears came to his eyes, and he let them escape. The heaviness that had sat on his shoulders for the past two months lifted slightly as they stood there together in the moonlight. 


	2. Wormtail's Blunder Part 2

Disclaimer: If I ever claim to own Harry Potter, you have license to shoot me, for I would be lying.  
  
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Aunt Petunia stepped back from Harry and gazed at him tearfully. She had no idea who the man at the bottom of the stairs was, but she had some idea as to why he would be there. Until she had found out about the return of Lord Voldemort last summer, Aunt Petunia had never paid attention to her sister's son, except to scorn or to punish him. All that had changed a year ago.  
Now she stood, staring down at the man in the foyer, who lay, unmoving, upon the floor. Aunt Petunia took a deep breath and let it slowly, pondering on how to remedy the situation. She knew from past experience that an owl from the Ministry of Magic would be arriving soon for Harry. The whole family knew that Harry wasn't allowed to use magic outside of school.  
"Harry." she began hesitantly. The boy did not meet her gaze, but continued to stare at the figure downstairs. Aunt Petunia swallowed nervously, wondering what she could possibly say to her nephew.  
"I had to do it," Harry said flatly. He finally looked up, and into her eyes. Aunt Petunia stared back at his cold, vacant eyes, and saw in them what she had guessed earlier.  
The man laying on the floor had come to take her nephew away. He had come to take Harry to Lord Voldemort.  
As Aunt Petunia opened her mouth to respond, a rapping on the window drew both their gazes to the expected messenger owl. Harry opened the window, and the owl flew inside, stopping to perch on the young wizard's outstretched arm. Harry took the envelope it held in its beak, and the owl took off with a flutter of wings. Undisturbed by this seemingly strange incident, Harry closed the window and proceeded to open the envelope.  
"What does it say?" Aunt Petunia said, after Harry had scanned the letter quickly.  
"That I violated the Decree of Underage Magic through the use of the Body-Bind spell, which, under normal circumstances, would mean I'm expelled. However, since this has happened before, they want me to undergo another trial." Harry paused here, lowering the letter. He met Aunt Petunia's concerned gaze with a grim smile.  
"This isn't good. I have a record." Harry trailed off, turning to gaze at the man again.  
"But this time, I have proof."  
Aunt Petunia nodded, biting her lip. "Yes, but Harry. who is he?"  
Harry looked back at her. She could see the resentment and suppressed anger in his eyes. "He's the man who betrayed my parents. He's the one who told Voldemort where they were." A lump formed in his throat, and tears came to his eyes. "His name is Peter Pettigrew. His nickname is Wormtail." Harry gazed up at his aunt, whose eyes were soft and understanding.  
"He was their Secret-Keeper! They trusted him! He was supposed to be their friend, and he told Voldemort where they were hiding!" The anger in his eyes flared up as he lunged for the stairs. "I want to kill him!"  
"Harry, no!" Aunt Petunia exclaimed. Her eyes were wide with fear. Harry's shoulders slumped, and he didn't fight her.  
"The charm should hold until morning. I'll send an owl to Ron. Tell him what happened. His dad will know what to do." Harry walked in the direction of his room, leaving Aunt Petunia staring at Wormtail. The moonlight reflected in the man's open, glassy eyes. She shuddered, and turned to follow Harry back to bed.  
"Vernon isn't going to like this." she murmured under her breath, as she stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. 


	3. Dealing with Wormtail Part 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all trademarks belong exclusively to J. K. Rowling. My name is not J. K. Rowling. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter.  
  
"WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU DONE, BOY?!?!"  
Uncle Vernon threw open the door to Harry's bedroom with a crash. Harry bolted upright, and fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand. When he managed to get them on, Harry looked at Uncle Vernon, who stood in the doorway, his face purple with anger.  
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, somewhat annoyed to be woken up on a Saturday morning to face Uncle Vernon in a temper.  
"The man - that - is lying - in - the bloody - foyer - downstairs!" Uncle Vernon roared, coming over to shake his nephew. Harry managed not to flinch as spittle flew into his face. Calmly, he worked himself out of Uncle Vernon's grasp and delicately wiped his face with the sleeve of his pajamas.  
"Oh, him," Harry said sarcastically, smacking himself in the forehead as if just remembering the events of the night before.  
"That's Wormtail. He helped Voldemort kill my parents. Oh, and yeah. he tried to kidnap me last night so that Voldemort could kill me, too," Harry explained nonchalantly, climbing out of bed and walking towards his closet.  
Uncle Vernon stared at him, his mouth hanging open. "Wh - WHAT?" he sputtered incoherently.  
"Yeah. Good thing I cursed him, huh?" Harry grinned and slid his robe over his shoulders.  
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to send an owl to Ron and see what to do about him," Harry said, walking over to his desk and taking out a piece of parchment and a quill. Uncle Vernon continued to gape at him. Harry glanced back at him, amused, then turned back to his letter.  
"You can go now, Uncle Vernon. And please, do make sure that you don't disturb Wormtail too much. I need him as evidence when I go to my hearing next week at the Ministry of Magic."  
Uncle Vernon clenched his teeth together and stepped back from the boy. He knew it would do no good to threaten Harry or to fly off into a temper. His nephew no longer feared him, and Uncle Vernon feared the friends that the boy had made over the past year. They were strange folk, those wizards. Dangerous, too.  
He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, leaving Harry alone. The boy let out an uneasy breath and finished his letter to Ron.  
  
Ron,  
I had a visitor at the house last night. Do you remember Peter  
Pettigrew, from our third year? Well, good old Wormtail came by last  
night. I hexed him before he could get away. The only problem is, the  
Ministry of Magic wants to have another hearing, next week. Could you  
ask your dad what I should do about Wormtail in the meantime? The Body-  
Bind curse isn't meant to last very long, but I need him for evidence.  
I can't afford to get expelled from Hogwarts this year. Not with all  
that's going on. so ask your dad for me, will you? In fact, if he  
could come by soon, that would be excellent. I'll keep Wormtail in the  
Body-Bind until I hear from you.  
  
- Harry  
  
Harry folded up the letter and walked over to Hedwig's cage. He opened the door and stroked her left wing. She opened her bright eyes and hooted at him softly. Harry tied the note to her leg and held out his arm. Hedwig stepped out of the cage, and Harry walked over to the open window.  
"I need you to take this to Ron, ok?" Hedwig nibbled his finger affectionately and fluttered her wings, preparing to take off.  
"Listen for a sec," Harry said. Hedwig looked at him and hooted again.  
"I need him to get this as soon as possible. Fly there fast - it's really important." Hedwig nipped him again and took off like a shot out the window. Harry watched her fly away, disappearing quickly over the horizon.  
The breeze coming in from the window was slightly chilly, so Harry reached up and closed it. He shivered slightly, dreading going downstairs to deal with his uncle, and with Wormtail.  
Harry turned away from the window, and picked up his wand off the dresser.  
"Here goes," Harry sighed, opening his bedroom door and heading downstairs. 


	4. Dealing with Wormtail Part 2

Disclaimer: One of the Ten Commandments is, "Thou shalt not worship any god but me". The same applies here - J. K. Rowling is the only owner of Harry Potter, so thou shalt not worship any author but her!!  
  
Harry stood for a moment at the top of stairs, gazing down at Wormtail. The wizard stared back at him, a pleading and desperate look in his eyes. For a moment, a feeling of pity swelled up in Harry. The wizard looked so helpless simply lying there on the floor.  
Almost as soon as the feeling came, it dissolved as Harry remembered why Wormtail was there in the first place. He walked down the stairs slowly, keeping his gaze locked on Wormtail's. The wizard's eyes widened as Harry came closer. When Harry reached the bottom of the stairs, he knelt on the floor and stared hard at Wormtail.  
"I'm going to keep you like this, you know," Harry said contemptuously to the wizard. Wormtail's eyes filled with tears, and they streamed down his face as he looked at Harry with obvious grief.  
It suddenly dawned on him. "Voldemort will kill you when he finds out that you got caught," Harry murmured thoughtfully. He glanced back at Wormtail, whose eyes were wide with acknowledgement of this statement.  
"More than likely, the Ministry of Magic will put you in Azkaban," Harry spat resentfully. "They'll punish you now for the crime that Sirius never committed!"  
Wormtail's eyes closed and a muffled moan could be heard.  
"You know that he's dead! You know how he died!" Harry exclaimed in anger.  
"If your bloody Master hadn't sent those stinking Death Eaters after us that night, I'd still have Sirius!" Harry reeled away from Wormtail, unable to look at him. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he muffled a sob as his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably.  
"Do you know how much it hurt, Wormtail?" Harry asked in defeat. "Do you have any idea whatsoever what kind of torture it has been for me to live with the fact that I lost the one person who I could call family?" Harry turned to face Wormtail. The wizard gazed back at him, a remorseful look in his eyes.  
"Lord Voldemort - " Wormtail's eyes rolled at the mention of his master's name. Harry noticed this, and pointedly said it again.  
"Lord Voldemort lured me there that night, and like a bloody idiot, I went. And Sirius followed me. To protect me," Harry whispered slowly. A tear slipped down his cheek as he swallowed hard and tried to keep a hold on himself.  
"And that's why he's dead, Wormtail. Because he cared about me. Just like my parents. They cared about me, and they're dead, too," Harry muttered spitefully.  
"I don't see why I should show you any mercy," he said. "If it weren't for you, Voldemort wouldn't be back and I would still have Sirius. If it weren't for you, I'd still have my parents."  
Harry looked hard at the wizard lying by his feet. Wormtail's eyes pleaded with him, but his silent efforts were in vain. Harry plucked the wizard's wand off the ground, where it had fallen the night before.  
"I hope - " Harry was cut off as an owl swooped into the house from the fireplace and dropped an envelope at the floor by his feet. It left as soon as it had come, leaving Harry and Wormtail both staring at the letter.  
"Well, this is a nice surprise," Harry said cheerfully. "I wasn't expecting a reply until this afternoon!"  
Harry picked up the envelope and read the front. "This isn't Ron's handwriting," he said slowly. He turned it over and ripped the letter open, and scanned its contents quickly.  
  
Harry -  
  
Keep Wormtail in the Body-Bind until I get there. Keep him out  
of sight and make sure that no one other than your aunt, uncle, and  
cousin see him. I should arrive at the Dursley's before nightfall  
today. Be on the watch for anything unusual - his spies are about  
everywhere. Do not use any more magic, and do be careful!  
  
-Albus Dumbledore  
  
Harry sighed and stuck the letter in his back pocket. "Well, it looks like I'm only stuck with you until tonight," he said, somewhat relieved.  
  
Harry looked around the foyer, looked for a good place to hide Wormtail. He finally decided on the cupboard under the stairs, where he himself had spent much of his youth. No one went in there anymore.  
With some effort, Harry grabbed Wormtail's ankles and dragged him over to the door. He opened it and managed to shove the wizard inside, holding onto his wand and to Wormtail's.  
"I'll keep this until Dumbledore gets here," Harry said triumphantly. Wormtail closed his eyes and made another muffled sound as Harry closed the door with a snap. 


	5. Dumbledore's Visit Part 1

Disclaimer: rettoP yrraH nwo ton od I.  
  
The light in Harry's bedroom dimmed slowly as the sun began to set. He was oblivious to this fact as he sat on his bed, rigorously polishing the handle of his Firebolt. Harry had kept himself busy for much of the day cleaning his room and organizing his school things. The care of his broom was last on his list. As he reached for the small scissors in his Broomstick Servicing Kit, Harry noticed that his room had gone almost completely dark. He turned instead to switch on the lamp. As light flooded the room, the abrupt appearance of a tall wizard caused Harry to jump and yelp with surprise. Dumbledore gazed at Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles with a kindly smile. Harry grinned back at the headmaster and stood up quickly. He was surprised to see that he was nearly as tall as Dumbledore now - Harry had reached a height of just about six feet over the summer. "Hello, Harry," Dumbledore said in a hearty voice. "'Evening, Professor," Harry replied, sticking out his hand. Dumbledore shook it, peering at him curiously at the same time. Harry averted his eyes and cleared his throat. "Ahh. Wormtail is downstairs. I put him in the cupboard under the stairs," Harry stated nervously, withdrawing his hand from Dumbledore's firm grasp. "Oh, there's no hurry, Harry," Dumbledore murmured, easing himself down to sit on Harry's bed. Harry himself remained standing, pacing about the room a bit. Suddenly, he turned to the headmaster with fire in his eyes. "Why are you staring at me? What's the matter with me? Am I some kind of freak or something? What's going on?" Harry snarled suddenly. He glared at Dumbledore angrily for several moments, and the calm stare of the old wizard caused his anger to recede as if it had never been. Harry wilted slightly, his shoulders stooping, and his eyes empty. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," he apologized, staring at the floor. "It's quite all right, Harry. You've been through rather a lot since June, my boy," Dumbledore replied evenly. Harry sank down on the bed next to the headmaster, burying his face in his hands. He sat there for a long while, not moving. Dumbledore sat quietly, waiting for him to speak. "I don't know what's wrong with me," Harry admitted finally. "Ever since Sirius." ". you have been lost and feeling abandoned," Dumbledore finished for him. Harry nodded slightly. "Exactly. I feel completely detached from the wizarding world." Harry paused and looked up at Dumbledore. "I feel almost as if there's no reason for me to continue with magic anymore," he finished.  
Dumbledore blinked once, and did not reply for several minutes. When he did, Harry sat up in shock and stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.  
"Let us go see about this Wormtail. Then we will return here and pack up your things. You are to come stay with me for the remainder of the summer holidays."  
Dumbledore stood, taking his wand from a hidden pocket in his robes. Harry stood as well as the headmaster walked towards the door. He followed Dumbledore downstairs into the foyer, where Harry went ahead of him to open the cupboard door.  
Harry unlocked the door and pulled it open. Dumbledore moved to stand in the opening and gaze at the man on the floor inside.  
"Hello, Wormtail," the headmaster said with a smile. "We're going to take a short trip." 


End file.
